Renowned murder mystery playwright Bertie Carroll turns real life detective when his leading lady is shot and killed on stage, in full view of an unsuspecting audience.

This theatrical debut is a delightful murder mystery, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Anthony Horowitz and, of course, Agatha Christie.

"A proper page-turner." Ian Moore (Death and Croissants) "A denouement worthy of Agatha Christie."Jim Eldridge (Author of the Museum Mysteries series) "A love letter to a bygone era." J.M. Hall (A Spoonful of Murder) "What an incredible debut mystery." Peter Boon (Who Killed Miss Finch?) "Escapist fun from start to finish." Jamie Bernthal (Author - Queering Agatha Christie)

An Amazon Best Seller and Chat Magazine Book of the Month!

The Palace Pier Theatre. Brighton. 1933.

Renowned murder mystery playwright Bertie Carroll turns real life detective when his leading lady is shot and killed on stage, in full view of an unsuspecting audience.

Once the curtain falls and the applause subsides, the horrible truth begins to dawn on the cast of suspects backstage. But as motives, secrets and old rivalries begin to come to light, the murderer is still waiting in the wings.

With the help of Chief Detective Hugh Chapman, an old friend from school, Bertie must put his amateur sleuthing skills to the test to unravel the ultimate whodunnit. But, is there more to Bertie and Hugh that first appears? Over the course of their investigation, something that is more-than-just-friends seems to be re-kindled.

There is drama on stage and off in this debut novel from Jamie West, set in and around The Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton, a lost theatre, lovingly recreated.

If you enjoyed the theatrical antics in The Appeal or The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett, you'll love this theatre murder mystery. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and The Thursday Murder Club gang and for fans of classic crime like Agatha Christie and her modern counterparts like Anthony Horowitz, Tom Hindle and Robert Thorogood.

Bertie Carroll, our gay murder mystery playwright, has to navigate LGBTQ themes of the era, on top of trying to solve the case with Inspector Hugh Chapman. Their complex friendship has a past, but their future is still to be explored in the future books of this brilliant new murder mystery series.